Believe In It All The Way

When you believe a thing, believe in it all the way. - Walt Disney

Our belief at the beginning of a doubtful undertaking is the one thing that assures the successful outcome of any venture. - William James

You can be anything you want to be. You can have anything you want to have. You can do anything you want to do. The common thread as to why people aren't who they want to be, don't have what they want to have and don't do what they want to do is because they lose their belief in the possibility of it.

Why? Because it is easier to fail. It is easier to give up. It is easier to go with the flow and not be different. It is easier to just be like everyone else. But, in settling for easier, we lose the very sense of what we were put on this earth to do. And, most importantly, we lose the sense of who were are and what brings joy in our lives.

I recently worked with a woman who was in her 70's. She hired me to train her because she wanted to be able to walk with her husband at night. She had tried countless exercise programs and had failed - for over 20 years. She let me know that she has wanted to be her husband's walking partner for those 20 years and each night, just watches him out the window as he takes his walk (and pretends it doesn't bother her). I asked her if she believed she could ever be capable of taking that walk with her husband and she said she did. That belief was all we needed.

Prior to beginning her fitness journey, she could only walk from her house to the car. In addition, she had been taking medication for Diabetes and high blood pressure for 20+ years. Her body fat composition measured well-over 40% bodyfat (30% is considered obese). She had gotten accustomed to living a sedentary life. But she wanted something different for herself. She no longer wanted to watch her husband walk alone. She no longer wanted to be winded walking to the car. She no longer wanted to sit back and watch life pass her by. She believed she could be different.

After six months of intensive conditioning, I just received a phone call from her. She is vacationing in Florida. It is the first time in 20+ years that she got on a plane and took a vacation. She mentioned she has gone off of almost all medication, and is wearing a clothing size she can't remember ever fitting in before...

And most importantly... tonight, their first night on vacation... she and her husband walked the entire resort. She mentioned they hadn't laughed so hard since their first year of dating. She said she felt like a teenager again. And, as they rounded the corner back to the hotel, hand-in-hand, she asked him, 'want to take another lap?' He smiled and told her she was going to wear him out. And, they took that second lap.

The only difference between this time and the previous 20 years of failure was her commitment to believing it was possible.

What do you believe is possible for yourself? What's stopping you?

It's Not the Days... It's the Moments

'We do not remember days, we remember moments'. -Caesare Pavese

As the New Year kicked off, I spent some time in reflection, not only over this past year, but of my life in general. I thought about old friends and new friends, adventures and travels, unexpected joy, and times I laughed until I cried. It dawned on me that it is easy to think about our lives in terms accomplishments. We tend to place value on the successes in life.

I challenge you to consider thinking about your life differently. Think about your life in terms of the moments that have brought you the most joy. It is likely, those moments aren't the ones where you received a degree, got a first job or made a paycheck. Those moments are the ones you make, when you don't realize you are making them - when you are with family, or friends, finding the joy in eachother and appreciating eachother - simply.

When I think of my fondest moment, while I have many, the first one that comes to mind is when when I spent time with a friend. We didn't do anything unique or special. We actually stayed in and watched movies, danced to music off of itunes on our computer and made eachother laugh until we cried by telling stories of our lives. My cheeks hurt for a whole day after... There was nothing significant about this time except for we had found simple joy in spending time together. Whenever I have a down moment, it is easy to think back to watching my friend dance like no one was watching and me falling on the floor - unable to get up because I was laughing so hard. I feel that same joy overwhelm my heart as I did in the actual moment.

It is not significant accomplishments that makes our lives rich - it is those times that bring joy to our hearts, tears to our eyes, and a tireless smile to our faces.

I challenge you this week to consider this ... while goals and accomplishments are great things to inspire us - they are not what makes our lives rich. Spend some time thinking back to the last time you smiled with your eyes, laughed til you hurt, and found simple joy - in the presence of a good friend. These are the things that make our lives.

There are no ordinary moments - so make sure you are able to find the joy in each one.

Will You Change the World?

I get up every morning, determined both to change the world and have to one hell of a good time. Sometimes, this makes planning the day difficult. -E.B. White

What if we woke up every morning, with the intention of changing the world, and having the best day of our life? Simply answered, we would have a fabulous day - regardless of what the outcomes were.

You see, we all are able to change the world each day. It may be in something as simple as a smile to a stranger on the street. That smile contagiously crosses that stranger's face who then smiles at someone else. Soon, more and more people are lifted by the kindness and joy of a stranger, and the world is a bit happier. A simple smile. And you never know - maybe one of those strangers was on their last thread of hope - and that smile came at just the right time to push them through. You never know the impact your actions make on others - but TRUST that your actions change other's lives in powerful ways! Make the choice to make an impact.

When we wake up each day with the intention of contributing to our purpose on earth, we will ALWAYS change the world. But, the tragedy comes when we wake up and go through the motions of another day - forgetting the gratitude and purpose we have for our life. You are in the drivers seat - it's your journey, it's your purpose - will you decide to change the world today or just let it pass?

Live with intention. Live boldly! Live without excuse or apology. Be the change you wish to see (Ghandi). Stretch. Reach. Find your simple joy and then give it to someone else.

It's just a smile. Or so you thought. Go out now, and change the world.

You Have All Of The Answers You Need...

“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.”
-Lao-tzu

How many times have you had to make a big decision and while you have a 'gut feeling' about it, you still seek other people's opinions, just to make sure you are on track?

Intuition is one of the strongest senses we have, yet often the most ignored. We tend to rationalize everything in life, seek other's approvals, and weigh the odds, prior to making many decisions. But, more often than not, the right answer is the one that you feel deep down inside; it comes out without much thought, analyzation or discussion.

The reason is this:

• Your brain rationalizes decisions. But, the world is not a rational place, so rational decisions are hardly fulfilling.
• The heart feels decisions. But, many times the heart can lead with emotion and get caught up in itself.
• The gut is where your true decisions come from. Your internal instinct or 'gut' takes the immediate responses of the brain and the heart and combines them to tell you what the right decision is for you.

I challenge you to trust yourself. You know yourself better than any one else. Only you know what will make you happy, who you want to be, and the legacy you will leave the world. Trust that internal response to life... it knows the way. Listen for it's voice, have confidence in it's direction and hang on as you enjoy the ride.

“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.” -Lao-tzu

Decide that you want it...

Decide that you want it, more than you are afraid it. - Bill Cosby

How many things have we missed out on in life because we were afraid of them? As we 'grow up', we learn that failures are difficult, heartbreaks are painful, rejection is intolerable, and loss is unbearable. We create boundaries to keep us safe from those things. When we really want something that causes us to go out of our comfort zone - many times, we won't. It isn't because we don't want it, but because we are afraid of what will happen if we don't get it.

It may cost us our pride if we fail, we may cry if it hurts, we may loose some of our confidence if we are told we aren't the 'right one' or 'good enough' and we may have an empty heart if we loose something we really wanted. We decide that the one thing we want isn't worth pursuing because were aren't willing to take the risk of those possible downfalls.

So, I challenge you this week to ask yourself if there is something in your life that you really want, but haven't gone after because you were afraid it? Find strength in being ok with (and even celebrating!) the failure vs. comfort in always staying safe. Safe is good, but for those few things that you really want in your life, stretch, dream big and go out on a limb. The very least you will then be able to say is that you gave it your best shot and you won't ever wonder.

Decide that you want it, more than you are afraid of it. Those who never take risks never get what they really want...

The Champion & The Underdog

Compete like the champion, train like the underdog.
As funny as it sounds, I saw this quote on the back of a guy's shirt. I am still researching the origination, and will update this blog if I can find the author... For now - I loved it and thought it would be a great concept to think about...

Compete Like The Champion
This advice is good whether you are in a marathon, weight loss program, or just going through your everyday life tasks...

Live your life as if you have prepared your best and there is no reason why you won't come out victorious, in every effort. When you believe you will come out on top, chances are, you will. When you believe you won't, well, chances are, you won't. There is an incredible power to the belief the mind holds.

I think back to a wish I worked on granting for a wishkid that had a rare form of cancer. He had wanted to go to a Dallas Cowboys Football game and despite getting sicker, he was holding out for his game. Every day I went to go visit him, no matter how sick he had become, he told me he was making it to his wish. As he got sicker, the doctors said that he would not be able to travel for the game and we would have to cancel his wish. I promised him we would do our best to bring the Cowboys to him. Shortly after this, he fell into a coma, and the doctors said it would be 'hours'. We let the Cowboys know of his wish and within a day, they had sent a box of gifts and letters. I took the box to the hospital and asked his family to open it, in front of him. Despite him being in a coma, every time they read a letter, his heart rate would increase. We knew he was happy. That evening, my wishkid passed away. He had exceed the doctor's predictions by a few days. I am quite certain, he was waiting for his wish. He believed it would come, and held on until it did. As my mentor, Mr. Larson has always said, 'what the mind and heart believes, the body achieves.' When you want it and believe you can have it, you will.

Train Like The Underdog
What if you knew you were up for a big promotion, but the person you were up against had more experience and qualifications for the job than you did? You would do all you could to put your best foot forward, highlight how your passion is stronger than you competitor's qualifications and you would dive into all you could to better position yourself than your competitor. Consider the Olympic athletes that come into a race, the underdog, and have an absolute upset by winning it all? They trained knowing they would have to bring out more than the person who was expected to win. The person who expected to win, took it for granted and forgot that they too, needed to train as if they were the underdog.

What if you could look at your life 'training' as if you were the underdog? Would you take less for granted and focus more on rising above the things that keep you from achieving what you want? Would you lead with more hope, more focus and more commitment to overcoming your obstacles?

Compete like the champion, train like the underdog. This makes a powerful combination of effort and drive that makes you unstoppable. And we all want to be unstoppable. Perhaps this is one of the secrets to getting all that you want.

How bad do you want it and how much are you willing to work to get it? Anything is possible. It's up to you to believe.

Do It Anyway

This week's blog is inspired from a sign that hung on a wall in Mother Teresa's office. (see end of blog)

It is easy to let life get us down. When we get hurt by others, we tend to trust less. When we give all we have and 'fail' anyways, we learn not to try so hard. When we go out of our way to help someone, and they end up being ungrateful, we back down from being so generous. When we spend our lives building our homes, our banks, and our sense of being and then a tragedy takes them all away - we feel helpless and broken - afraid to start over again. When we put our hearts 'out there' and they get broken, they become numb and choose to not let themselves be as vulnerable next time.

But - we have two choices each moment. Whenever something comes into our lives we didn't want, expect or ask for - we can choose to let it get the best of us or we can chose to overcome it and let it bring out the best in us. Letting it get the best of us kills our spirit, while letting it bring out the best in us awakens our spirit and allows us to be more fully alive. How powerful would it be to fail, and fail magnificently at that, and yet, smile, and keep moving forward, as if it was just a bump in the road? In other words, if you fall (and we all do!), fall forwards.

I challenge you this week, and each one following - in those times when life is throwing you a curveball, when you feel broken, when you have been hurt, when you have 'failed' - GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU'VE GOT ANYWAY. In doing that - you will overcome the 'stuff' that has weighed you down in the past and you will rise above that 'stuff' to live the life you were meant to live.


Do It Anyway
People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered,

LOVE THEM ANYWAY

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives,

DO GOOD ANYWAY

If you are successful, you win false friends and
true enemies,

SUCCEED ANYWAY

The good you do will be forgotten
tomorrow,

DO GOOD ANYWAY

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable,

BE HONEST AND FRANK ANYWAY

What you spent years building may be destroyed overnight,

BUILD ANYWAY

People really need help but may attack you if you help them,

HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth,

GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU'VE GOT ANYWAY.